new troubles. Syphilis, introduced by Europeans, has terribly 

 debilitated the constitution and corrupted the blood, but the 

 scourge which sweeps ott most of the natives is consumption. 

 Indigestion and toothache are common, dropsy and heart disease 



attributed to sorcery practiced by an enemy. Tliey possessed 

 little or no knowledge of medicine, any remedies being almost 

 exclusively externally applied. A common treatment was for the 

 doctor or sacred man of the tribe to suck the part affected and 

 pretend to extract from it a pebble of the sort used as charms. 

 There seems to be efficacy in the sucking, for a friend of mine 

 who was suffering severely from an inveterate, inflamed eye, allowed 

 a black ' doctor ' to mouth the eyeljall, and the result of the treat- 

 ment was immediate relief and speedy cure. SoiMetimes the 

 doctor would apply a sacred stone to the part that was acliing 

 and profess to extract the cause of pain, from the analogy of a 

 similar practice in the New Hebrides this may have been ori^nnally 

 a kind of exorcism. 



Wounds were often plastered with clay. In the case of sores on 

 the Hml)s, circulation woirid be checked by the fastening of a 

 hgature above the sore part. Mange was frequently cauglit from 

 the dogs. There was a disgusting monkey-like method of dealing 

 with it which I have seen practised. One person using a short 

 pointed stick would prick the pustules all over the body of the 

 patient who would be reclining in a con^-enient posture and enjoy- 

 ing the operation. For headache a l)and was fastened tightly 



The 



re is considerable difficulty i 



n detc 



:rmining 1 



bhe length of life 



of the 



blacks, the gf 



ineration 



born 



after < 



contact with white people 



being 



on the whole 



very short-lived. F 







Id appear th. 



it forme 



r generations were 1 



Fairly long-aged. 



Ahno! 



.t every small 



commun 





)uld h; 













ar's of 



ai,^e, and here 





ceiiten 



arianrwo^ld 



bo met^ 



with. 



The- 



impaired 



constitutions of 



j;;opr 



e.sent generati 



.on, theii 





althy 1 



labits ari 



sing from a ..oni- 







xvi^h Eu 







les of life, 





whToh 



nl-iny'fairint 





; pr:icl 



j.-es, I 



)reclude t 



hepos.sihilityof 



many 





nin<,'\o^ 







It seem^ 



^-7.st::'t 













at lea.st, 1 



asing 



lepure.-il)originesurvi 



vin, 1 



ifty y( 



■ars henc( 







(iovi 



h:RN.MKNT, 



, Law 



S, iNriTITUTIOXf 





